On the whole the Jewish film festival of New York attracts an over 60 crowd with a smattering of younger people depending on the film. Or at least this is my view after attending 6 shows this year at various times of the day and week. There was a lady sitting next to me at the 9pm show on Thursday night who thought that the crowd for the Jewish film festival is getting younger now that she is older and it made her feel old. She felt that she was one of the younger ones years ago and now that she is one of the older ones she feels that there are more younger attendees now. I hope she is correct but judging by the shows I have attended I know she is wrong. There are some younger attendees but not so many. Israeli films get a younger demographic. That's about it. I never mind being the oldest in audience at a Jewish film because seeing the younger people restores my faith in the continuum of Judaism.If only older people are interested in Jewish things this does not bode well for the future. The best is when there is a mix of ages in the audience. If something is really good it should be able to attract an audience of various demographics.
Showing posts with label new york jewish film festival. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new york jewish film festival. Show all posts
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Thursday, January 26, 2012
follow me, the yoni netanyahu story
monday night i saw the documentary film follow me : the yoni netanyahu story at the jewish film festival . i always knew about what happened during operation thunderbolt (raid at entebbe) but i didn't know a lot about the mastermind and and only israeli soldier who lost his life during this brave mission. now i do.
this movie explores yoni the son and brother, yoni the writer and yoni the warrior. this 35th anniversary tribute includes interviews by yoni's brothers bibi and ido as well as his father ben-tzion. many israeli dignitaries were interviewed as well. the most fascinating interviews were that of his ex-wife as well as his girlfriend. there were interviews of the young men he led during raid on entebbe. there were even home movies from childhood . i felt like i really got to know yoni netanyahu through this movie. who knows what he would have added to the world had he lived past operation thunderbolt.
follow me is the story of a young man's love and devotion of his country. its the story of a very handsome young man who was a great warrior as well as a sensitive writer. this was one of the most amazing films of this year's new york jewish film festival.
this movie explores yoni the son and brother, yoni the writer and yoni the warrior. this 35th anniversary tribute includes interviews by yoni's brothers bibi and ido as well as his father ben-tzion. many israeli dignitaries were interviewed as well. the most fascinating interviews were that of his ex-wife as well as his girlfriend. there were interviews of the young men he led during raid on entebbe. there were even home movies from childhood . i felt like i really got to know yoni netanyahu through this movie. who knows what he would have added to the world had he lived past operation thunderbolt.
follow me is the story of a young man's love and devotion of his country. its the story of a very handsome young man who was a great warrior as well as a sensitive writer. this was one of the most amazing films of this year's new york jewish film festival.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
LEA & DARIJA
today i saw the most awesome film at the jewish film festival. the film was lea and darija which is a historical fiction about the life of lea deutsch the croatian jewish shirley temple. who's that you say? and if you are me you will say "there is a jewish community in croatia? " well.there still is a small jewish community in croatia and there was a much larger one before world war two .
lea deutsch was a famous tap dancer from croatia who travelled all over europe acting and dancing from the age of five. she was forced to stop dancing in 1941 when croatia was taken over by the nazis . many tried to help her and her family to no avail. she died in transit to auchswitz in 1943. only her father survived the war.
darija was a croatian german girl who danced with lea. she survived the war. she and her family fled croatia when the nazis took over croatia.
the filmmaker branko ivanda is the son of a croatian partisan whose father survived three years in a concentration camp. he came to make this film after joining some of his friends who are jewish in a jewish coffee house in croatia. in this coffee house there was a striking painting of lea deutsch . he was intrigued by her life story which inspired him to first compile a documentary and then a historical fiction film about her. he felt it important for people to remember her life. even now there are still those in croatia who fondly remember her. she was a shining star and beloved by all at the time.
when the film lea and darija premieres in croatia it will be screened in the theatre lea performed in.
it is incredible that branko ivanda has created this tribute to lea deutsch so her memory can live on.
p.s. i have included a clip from the documentary that was created by branko ivanda and not the film that i actually saw. i would like to eventually see the documentary, but i think that the historical fiction version is amazing. it really brings the story to life.
lea deutsch was a famous tap dancer from croatia who travelled all over europe acting and dancing from the age of five. she was forced to stop dancing in 1941 when croatia was taken over by the nazis . many tried to help her and her family to no avail. she died in transit to auchswitz in 1943. only her father survived the war.
darija was a croatian german girl who danced with lea. she survived the war. she and her family fled croatia when the nazis took over croatia.
the filmmaker branko ivanda is the son of a croatian partisan whose father survived three years in a concentration camp. he came to make this film after joining some of his friends who are jewish in a jewish coffee house in croatia. in this coffee house there was a striking painting of lea deutsch . he was intrigued by her life story which inspired him to first compile a documentary and then a historical fiction film about her. he felt it important for people to remember her life. even now there are still those in croatia who fondly remember her. she was a shining star and beloved by all at the time.
when the film lea and darija premieres in croatia it will be screened in the theatre lea performed in.
it is incredible that branko ivanda has created this tribute to lea deutsch so her memory can live on.
p.s. i have included a clip from the documentary that was created by branko ivanda and not the film that i actually saw. i would like to eventually see the documentary, but i think that the historical fiction version is amazing. it really brings the story to life.
Friday, January 28, 2011
mehadrin buses
at the jewish film festival ther was a documentary called the black bus which is about two young women in their twenties who grew up chassidish and later became secular jews. the documentary itself was lukewarm. it didnt tell enough about each woman's personal journey away from frumkeit. it was almost as if we should assume that it was an obvious choice. they did however feature the mehadrin buses in israel which i found most captivating.
when i was in israel last there were not any mehadrin buses. ive wondered what they were like.
after seeing them all i can say is that i am so happy that they did not exist when i was in israel.
i think there is something horrible about having to board from the back of the bus. i suppose the only good thing is that if i rode one of those buses i would never have to pay . they have a hole puncher at the back of the bus so women can punch their own bus passes. yeah...right....
what i want to know is what happens if a woman is riding a bus and doesnt know the neighborhood one is going to. usually when this happens i like to sit in the front of the bus so i can ask the bus driver where i should get off. even if it would be permissable to go to the front of the bus to ask the bus driver i would be a little embarrassed to have to walk through a crowd of only men to go to the front of the bus to ask the driver directions.
i know from past experience on the now revamped monsey bus ( as in the mechitzah rule has been relaxed. ) that when there weren't enough seats for the women and children the men wouldn't move the mechitzah over so the women could sit even if there was room. however at least that bus was split down the middle . i guess that bus company was more concerned about collecting their fares.
i think that segregating buses by gender is demeaning. it also is bad if one is on a date or out with a spouse or ones family. i suppose the women always end up saddled with all of the kids while the husbands sit and relax at the front of these buses.
it is true that having segregated buses help the anti negiah issue because i remember how pushy the israelis were when boarding buses. instead of making sure people have derech eretz on buses and not pushing other passengers they decided that it would be easier to create a mehadrin bus.
before gender segregation on israeli buses charedi or chassidic men would not sit next to women on buses and if a woman sat next to them they would get up. i guess they now would rather have a seat than get up when occasionally a woman sits next to them. after all there may not be another appropriate seat to switch to if you have to get up.
the other thing that used to happen on israeli buses before gender separation was the unmentionable. young yeshiva bachrim would stand way too close to women and.....well let me say you would have to get up and get away from them. so i guess now they cant do this to women on the buses anymore. the only place id seen this happen was in israel with yeshiva bachrim. i have not seen that on the nyc buses or subways. ive seen other very gross happenings on nyc buses and subways but just not that one. so yes, i guess it would be better to ride a mehadrin bus in israel so that you would not have to encounter that.
when i was in israel last there were not any mehadrin buses. ive wondered what they were like.
after seeing them all i can say is that i am so happy that they did not exist when i was in israel.
i think there is something horrible about having to board from the back of the bus. i suppose the only good thing is that if i rode one of those buses i would never have to pay . they have a hole puncher at the back of the bus so women can punch their own bus passes. yeah...right....
what i want to know is what happens if a woman is riding a bus and doesnt know the neighborhood one is going to. usually when this happens i like to sit in the front of the bus so i can ask the bus driver where i should get off. even if it would be permissable to go to the front of the bus to ask the bus driver i would be a little embarrassed to have to walk through a crowd of only men to go to the front of the bus to ask the driver directions.
i know from past experience on the now revamped monsey bus ( as in the mechitzah rule has been relaxed. ) that when there weren't enough seats for the women and children the men wouldn't move the mechitzah over so the women could sit even if there was room. however at least that bus was split down the middle . i guess that bus company was more concerned about collecting their fares.
i think that segregating buses by gender is demeaning. it also is bad if one is on a date or out with a spouse or ones family. i suppose the women always end up saddled with all of the kids while the husbands sit and relax at the front of these buses.
it is true that having segregated buses help the anti negiah issue because i remember how pushy the israelis were when boarding buses. instead of making sure people have derech eretz on buses and not pushing other passengers they decided that it would be easier to create a mehadrin bus.
before gender segregation on israeli buses charedi or chassidic men would not sit next to women on buses and if a woman sat next to them they would get up. i guess they now would rather have a seat than get up when occasionally a woman sits next to them. after all there may not be another appropriate seat to switch to if you have to get up.
the other thing that used to happen on israeli buses before gender separation was the unmentionable. young yeshiva bachrim would stand way too close to women and.....well let me say you would have to get up and get away from them. so i guess now they cant do this to women on the buses anymore. the only place id seen this happen was in israel with yeshiva bachrim. i have not seen that on the nyc buses or subways. ive seen other very gross happenings on nyc buses and subways but just not that one. so yes, i guess it would be better to ride a mehadrin bus in israel so that you would not have to encounter that.
Monday, January 24, 2011
the numbers game
this year at the jewish film festival there is a new seating policy. you show your ticket when you enter the building and they write a number at the back of your ticket. when its time to enter the theater for the movie they call out 15-20 numbers and slowly everyone gets to enter the theater. the great thing is that when you are waiting to enter the screening room you can go to the ladies room and not lose your place in line. you can also sit as you wait to enter the screening room.
the new seating policy for fully attended screenings at the walter reade theater began with the jewish film festival this year. im not sure if they will be employing this policy with all of their screenings,but im sure this protocol will return next year for the jewish film festival. it made entering the screening room much less chaotic.
as chaotic as the entry to the theater had been at the walter reade theater it was always much worse with the israeli film festival. perhaps someone should suggest this seating method to them.
the new seating policy for fully attended screenings at the walter reade theater began with the jewish film festival this year. im not sure if they will be employing this policy with all of their screenings,but im sure this protocol will return next year for the jewish film festival. it made entering the screening room much less chaotic.
as chaotic as the entry to the theater had been at the walter reade theater it was always much worse with the israeli film festival. perhaps someone should suggest this seating method to them.
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